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Speakers
'' '' "Your death serves a greater purpose." Speakers are the shamans, wizards and sorcerors who act as spiritual guides for the humans of Desolan. Varying widely in skill, ability and gifts, speakers can range from greatly powerful mages, enveloping entire landscapes in fire and death, to simple druids capable of planting and nurturing seeds in rotten soil. These chosen individuals do not have a personality of their own, and instead act as messengers from an as yet unknown force, heralding the advent of the true masters of humanity. Origin of Speakers The only thing connecting the myriad types of speaker is the process in which a human joins their ranks. On any given day, a man or woman from Desolan will develop a nagging desire to wander out from their tribe, heading out to almost certain death in the wasteland. At first just a handful of whispering voices inside their head, the human will seem frantic, perturbed by this maddening suggestion. Over time, the chorus will grow larger and louder, no longer merely tempting the victim to leave, but giving glimmers and glimpses into the nature of magic, life, death, and the laughter of thirsting gods. Having lived out a previously miserable existence, nearly all granted these visions are drunk on the prospect of changing their stars, listening and watching intently. At this point, the human personality is effectively gone, replaced by a mouthpiece and harbringer of a greater evil. Unable to shake the voices, now delighting in every word, and deaf to the cries from their loved ones, the individual will exit their current life, and march half naked into the dust and smoke. Alone in the badlands, a speaker will begin to laugh, endless dreams of the horrors to come turning them irrevocably insane. They will discover shocking new powers, unique to each individual, and now exist only to serve and spread word of their enigmatic masters, preparing the lands of Desolan for their arrival. Sacrifice and Pilgrimage Sometimes, a new speaker will return to their tribe, all members gathered around to see the final fate of their lost scion. To the assembled audience, the speaker will recount cryptic tales of blood and glory, and preach how to please the dark gods of this realm. Invariably, sacrifice will be involved, invoking the humans to offer up blood, possessions or their lives. Blessing the surviving humans, the speaker may stay and guide their path for a while longer, or set out on a new path across the wastes. Speakers are strangely unharmed by beast or hazard, the spirits of the realm knowing better than to interfere with the emmissaries of darkness. Mutation and Traits Venerable speakers can live for great periods of time, far longer than a typical human lifespan, let alone the inhabitants of Desolan. However, as their powers develop, with greater amounts of sacrifice and bloodshed, their bodies are warped and tainted by the dread energy channeling through them. As such, some speakers undergo foul transformations, gaining animalistic features or other unholy augmentations. The oldest may barely resemble humans at all, only an echo of their former life remaining. Category:Faction